Horse Racing News
Rocket nears Spring launch
Chris Waller is still not 100 percent sure what Riff Rocket’s entire Spring campaign will look like, but the dual Derby winner will be given his chance to prove he can be an elite-level open-age stayer. The four-year-old American Pharoah gelding will be among the entries for the Cox Plate (2040m) and Caulfield...
Improved Williamsburg to target The Five Diamonds and The Big Dance
The decision to geld Williamsburg has produced an immediate result with the dual Group 1 placegetter breaking a 22-month drought from the winner’s stall to post a decisive victory at Rosehill. The five-year-old hadn’t got his head in front since taking out the Dulcify Quality (1600m) in October 2022, although he had...
Spring racing carnival stars set for jump-outs
The return run of Pride Of Jenni is now less than four weeks away and the mare is set to step up her program with another jump-out at Cranbourne. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare had a jump-out over 800m at Cranbourne on July 22 and will have the second of her preparation over...
Stern Idol scores emphatic Crisp Steeplechase victory
Champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman is likely to recommend Stern Idol head to the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat following his easy victory at Sandown. Stern Idol ran away with the Crisp Steeplechase (4200m) at Sandown on Sunday, his fourth win in a steeplechase this year. Pateman said what weight Stern Idol received would...
Affluential brave in Grand National Hurdle win
Jockey Will Gordon has ticked off one glaring omission from his record after Affluential took out the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown. While Gordon had won plenty of feature races over jumps since making the move from Ireland while also making a name for himself on the flat, he had not...
Pateman’s Lass all the rage to fire first up
Glasgow Lass first came to prominence at Ascot in January and displayed the signs of a future stakes winner with an impressive two length victory over Big Shots. While Glasgow Lass suffered a minor setback and couldn’t continue her campaign, Big Shots progressed to win the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic (1200m)...
Grand National Hurdle target for Affluential
Affluential may not have the same flat ability as his older sister, but one thing he can do is jump. Trainer John Leek (Jnr) has transformed Affluential into one of the state’s up-and-coming jumpers and he will put that on show in the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown on Sunday. Affluential is the...
Caulfield Guineas and Victoria Derby a chance for dominant Detroit City
In the short time Dominic Sutton has held a training licence, he and his small Ballarat stable has a achieved a Flemington winner together with recently turned three-year-olds with Guineas and Derby aims. Detroit City scored an emphatic win in the Tab We’re On over 1410-metres after impressing in winning on debut at...
Horrifying outguns Melbourne Cup 2024 aspirant Berkshire Breeze
In his own words, Lindsay Smith is hesitant to become cocky by making any grand statements on the levels Horrifying could reach over the next few months, but he is willing to enjoy the return to form the seven-year-old has found after winning at Flemington. Horrifying ($9.50), ridden by Blake Shinn, joined...
Scone mare Queens it over Highway rivals
Ineligible for the Kosciuszko, Lonhro’s Queen will instead be given a chance to earn a Country Championships berth after claiming her second successive Highway Handicap win. Originally trained in Sydney, the Gooree Stud-owned mare is now with Scone trainer Cameron Crockett, but she doesn’t qualify for this year’s The Kosciuszko (1200m) as...